Have you ever tried cutting a mango? It is not simple at first, but not impossible. One of my recipes called for fresh mango, and I had never cut a mango before. In the beginning, it was a disaster. I finally found an easier way to cut mangos, so I created a video. With a little practice, you will become a mango cutting machine in no time! Remember to always wash produce before cutting it. Check out this video to learn a few simple tips to help you cut a mango into dices.

Radish Mouse

Radish Mouse

Directions

These little creatures are a whimsical way to eat radishes. Cut the tip off the stem end and you have a white nose. Cut a very thin slice from the bottom to help stabilize the mice; proceed to cut the slice in half for the ears. Make a small notch in the radishes near the nose and insert the ears.

TIP: The ears can fall off rather easily. I placed a spoon in the dip so any displaced ears ended up on plates instead of in the dip bowl. Added benefit: People can double-dip from their plate!

Source: Recipe developed by Alice Henneman, MS, RND

Relishes with Onion Yogurt Dip

Make a quick dip by mixing 1 part mayonnaise to 3 parts Greek-style yogurt (for example, I used 1/3 cup mayonnaise and 1 cup yogurt). Mix in some finely sliced green onion. Since the onions were small, I added two of them. A bit of the stem served as a garnish for the dip.

I like using yogurt in dips as it adds extra calcium and protein to snacks. Let the dip refrigerate at least one hour so the flavors can blend. This dip was mixed the night before I used it and made the perfect accompaniment to the kohlrabi, cucumbers and radishes.

Tuna and Lettuce Salad

I tossed lettuce, tomatoes, radish, cucumbers and kohlrabi with an oil and vinegar salad dressing. Tuna mixed with mayonnaise and chopped green onion topped the salad.

Egg Salad Sandwiches

For the perfect hard-boiled eggs for my sandwiches, I used these directions for Classic Hard-Boiled Eggs from the American Egg Board. Since there are just two of us in our household, I usually buy only a 6-pack of eggs at a time. If you’re wondering how long to keep eggs, check out Cracking the Date Code on Egg Cartons.

I chopped the eggs, mixed them with some mayonnaise and thinly sliced one of the green onions into the mixture. Served on toasted whole grain bread with a bit of the lettuce, this was the perfect light sandwich for a noon meal.

TIP: Hard-boil extra eggs when cooking eggs for this recipe. Hard-boiled eggs in the shell can be refrigerated up to one week; store in a clean container, not the original carton.

Tomato Topped with Egg Salad

Remember those extra eggs I recommended hard-boiling? I made some more egg salad and served a scoop of it on a tomato on a plate lined with lettuce. Tuna salad also makes a good topper for tomatoes.

Pasta Salad with Fresh Veggies and Eggs

Here’s another way I used some of the eggs I hard-boiled earlier during the week. Cook pasta according to package directions. Use about 2 ounces of dry pasta per person, which equals about 1 cup cooked pasta. The amount need not be exact … if you don’t have a kitchen scale, check the total ounces of pasta in the package and and use proportionally an amount equal to two ounces. For example, if there are 16 ounces of dry pasta, you would need 4 ounces for two people or about 4/16 or 1/4 of the total amount of pasta in the box.

Run cooked pasta under cold water to stop the cooking process.

Next, I mixed the pasta with all the remaining veggies from my CSA share (radish, kohlrabi and cucumber) and some cubed cheese together with an oil and vinegar type salad dressing. I chopped two eggs for my husband and me into wedges, saving the best-looking wedges to place on top of the salad. The rest were mixed in with the salad.

Refrigerating the salad (covered with some plastic wrap) for about an hour before serving helped meld the flavors.

The mashed cauliflower was also super simple. As I was cooking for just my husband and me, I used only half the cauliflower. Just double the following recipe to use the whole head.

Yogurt Salsa Dip

I cleaned and separated the total cauliflower into florets and stored the remaining half in a plastic bag in the fridge. It should keep well for at least four days; use by adding to salads, eat as is, or serve with a dip.If you have some salsa and yogurt in your fridge, try combining two parts plain yogurt with one part salsa for quick, flavorful dip (for example, mix 1 cup plain yogurt with 1/2 cup salsa). Or, roast the cauliflower; directions follow below the Mashed Cauliflower recipe.

Mashed Cauliflower

Mashed Cauliflower

Servings: 2 generous servings; double the ingredients to use the whole head

Directions

In a large sauce pan (use a Dutch oven if cooking the entire cauliflower), bring an inch of water to boil.

Add cauliflower; cover and cook for 5 to 10 minutes or until tender. (Test by sticking a fork into the cauliflower.)

Drain the cauliflower and return to the pan. Add the milk, butter or margarine, garlic, pepper and salt. Mash with a potato masher until combined. OR, place the cauliflower and other ingredients (except the cheese) in a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer. (NOTE: I prefer to stop mixing while the mixture still contains some small chunks of cauliflower than until it is perfectly smooth. This is a matter of personal preference, however.)

Stir in the cheese.

Credit: Recipe developed by Alice Henneman, MS, RDN

Roasted Cauliflower

Roasted Cauliflower

Roasted Cauliflower

Roasting adds flavor to the cauliflower and reduces the volume slightly. You may be surprised by how much you and family members eat when you roast cauliflower. (NOTE: Just halve the following ingredients if only using half a head.

Ingredients

1 cauliflower head

2 tablespoonsolive oil

1/4 teaspoonsalt

1/4 teaspoonpepper

1/2 cupshredded Parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Remove outer leaves of cauliflower. Cut florets off the stem. Wash and drain.

Combine oil, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Toss the cauliflower florets in the oil mixture.

Spread cauliflower on a large rimmed baking sheet.

Roast in the oven at 450 degrees 15-20 minutes until the cauliflower starts to soften and begins to brown.

“Salad in a Jar” seemed perfect for my second recipe this year using local, seasonal foods. My first share of foods for the summer in a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) box from a local farmer included the cauliflower, radish and lettuce used in this recipe.

Local, seasonal fruits and vegetables are at the peak of freshness when purchased either directly from a farm, at a farmers’ market or in a grocery store. Or harvested from your garden.

In my first post, I gave a recipe for a simple lettuce and radish salad dressed with olive oil and vinegar. So none of these fresh, tasty foods goes to waste, I made two Salads in a Jar to enjoy at work this Thursday and Friday.

These salads are so easy to make! You don’t have to use all the ingredients; however, it is very important to put the salad dressing on the bottom followed with a layer of hard, moisture-resistant vegetables to protect the remaining layers from getting soggy.

It’s that time of year again when fresh-from-the-farm foods are available at Farmers’ Markets and through CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) shares.*

For most of the weeks from now until the end of September, I’ll share with you tips and recipes for preparing fresh, locally grown foods. Also, I’ll help you avoid wasting fresh fruits and vegetables through storage and freezing tips, plus give recipe suggestions that help you use every last leaf, stalk, ear, etc.! I’ll be using foods currently in season in Nebraska and provided in a CSA share courtesy of Pekarek’s Produce.

Here’s how I’m using some of the produce from this week (shown in the top photo) in a salad. I will post more ideas and tips as I continue to enjoy my CSA share.

Last night, as an accompaniment to a pasta meal, I prepared a quick salad, using a technique learned on a recent trip to Spain. Here’s what I did:

I washed and dried the lettuce in a salad spinner (helps remove the water and make salad dressing stick better, plus you can use less dressing AND add fewer calories). Also, I sliced a few of the red radishes.

Each person at the table (last night, it was my husband and me) got a salad bowl with the lettuce and radishes.

Next, each of us added a splash of vinegar followed by a couple of splashes of extra virgin olive oil. Use a ratio of about 1 part vinegar (such as balsamic, sherry, red wine or a fruit-flavored vinegar) to 3 parts olive oil. Eyeball it at about 1 teaspoon vinegar to 3 teaspoons olive oil per about 2 cups of salad. (NOTE: If desired, add a dash of salt at the beginning).

Toss and enjoy!

The benefit of this easy recipe is you control the amount of ingredients plus you don’t have any of those aging bottles of salad dressing in your refrigerator that eventually get tossed! And … you don’t have to mix up a salad dressing in advance. Pretty cool!

If you’d like to take just a little more time and include a few more ingredients, prepare a salad dressing for the total salad using these steps for making an olive oil salad dressing.

*Community Supported Agriculture consists of a community of individuals who pledge support to a farm operation so that the farmland becomes, either legally or spiritually, the community’s farm, with the growers and consumers providing mutual support and sharing the risks and benefits of food production. Typically, members or “share-holders” of the farm or garden pledge in advance to cover the anticipated costs of the farm operation and farmer’s salary. In return, they receive shares in the farm’s bounty throughout the growing season, as well as satisfaction gained from reconnecting to the land and participating directly in food production. Source: USDA National Agricultural Library

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About Alice Henneman

My husband and I enjoy eating healthy foods, but they must taste good and be quick to prepare.

My goal with Cook It Quick is: Making you hungry for healthy food!

Follow along as I share recipes and kitchen tricks that help you enjoy the same types of foods. And though I am a registered dietitian and University of Nebraska-Lincoln extension educator, all my recipes must pass inspection by my toughest critic … my husband!